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TEACHING SPANISH IN SECOND LIFE: A CASE STUDY
Dafne GonzálezUniversidad Simón Bolívar
- TISLID'10 -
Virtual Worlds and LT 3D Environments Example: Second Life (SL)
• Avatars• 3D Interactive objects• Replicating places
Our Study - Context
Languagelab.com British private company Previously teaching English in SL Sim especially designed for ELT
Spanish course Spanish for travel Level beginners 10 weeks
Our Study - Methodology Case study: a macro-vision of all the process of
an Action Research. Qualitative research Guiding questions:
How can Spanish be taught in Second Life? How can we design a course to be delivered in SL? Which language approach to teaching is the most appropriate
for SL? How do the affordances of SL impact on all of the above?
Objectives of the research To design a course of Spanish for beginners in SL To implement the course To analyze all the components of the course and its
appropriateness in SL To reflect on the interactive, social and language
learning potential of SL
Researchers:
Our Study – Action Research (AR)Phases suggested by Kemmis &
McTaggart (1988) -fundamentals for each of the cycles of AR:
Plan (designing the course), Action (implementation or
intervention), Observation of the effects of the
action, Reflection, which is the base for
future actions or cycles of the research.
Action Research - Planning Collaborative work : teachers,
coordinator, languagelab staff, invited participants
Teaching method: communicative paradigm: Whole language approach Task-based instruction Functional-notional Total Physical Response
Authentic activities – real-world tasks SL resources – 2D & 3D interactive objects Evaluation: continual – based on class
performance & interviews
Action Research - Implementation
Class walk-trhough 10-week beta course
90-minute classes twice a week (new language / enabling tasks
8 invited participants all teachers Total and false beginners
Evaluation: Weekly feedback surveys teachers logs Indicators of Engaged Learning How Interactive are YOUR Distance Courses?
Action Research - Observation
Weekly meetings (teachers + coordinator) Discuss classes using the data collected during
implementation Make changes to future classes based on data
collected. Online focus group sessions (T-C-P)
First group meeting - videoed for further analysis.
Other meetings- researchers took individual notes and then compared them).
Interviews with individual students.
Action Research - Reflection Reflections on the observation cycle ....
Provided invaluable information on the feasibility of the course
Highlighted changes that needed to be made for the final product: The use of team teaching to facilitate the teaching of
beginners. A change of approach from aural approach to a 4-skill
approach. The inclusion of an SL skills session for the students
prior to course start. The creation of a virtual city especially designed for
this course. The use of web-based resources (wiki, podcasts,
interactive online exercises). A need for self-access materials to reinforce class
sessions.
Slideshow: Class 1 – Introducing the program & teaching helpful vocabulary
http://photopeach.com/album/18hm5cy
Slideshow: Week 2 – Countries + Hotel vocabulary
http://photopeach.com/album/tfad2f
